Mongolia-still truly wild. 

To many people countries outside the US or Europe are of no interest, but to a birder the rest of the world holds rare and beautiful species. However, one of the least densely populated countries in the world is almost unknown to most people, indeed the name of its capital used to frequently be a question on quizzes. As time goes on I find that many species and places I always wanted to see have become "tourist attractions". A prime example is the Jaguar, when Wildwings began operating tours, not that long ago, they still appeared on TV documentaries as being impossible to see, in fact I remember a celebrity being sent to a favoured area and not seeing one after a week, that  being the story of the trip. Whether it was true or not, most Wildwings tours in those days saw Jaguar (along with much "harder" species such as Maned Wolf and Brazilian Merganser). We saw that magnificent cat in 2009, our group in two small boats, but now it has become an eco-tourist "must see" target. I recently saw a documentary which showed one in a tree surrounded by about fifty boats, on the same stretch of water where we sat on our own and watched one on a bank about twenty yards away. Of course the cats will move area over time, so there is little danger, but not so many other species. 

Disturbance aside, we always wanted to see Lion, Tiger, Leopard, Cheetah, etc., but I couldn't care less any more, they appear in so many wildlife programmes. Likewise places like Machu Picchu and the Taj Mahal, once on a wanted list, they are so familiar now and seen by so many people the interest has gone. However, I still would love to see Snow Leopard (and Pallas' Cat) because they are still not easily seen. Which brings me to Mongolia. People now visit Mongolia to see those two cats, and a tour can be combined with birdwatching, which early trips to see the near-mythical cat didn't do. Six species of bird was about it, the places being so high and remote. However, for reasons of avian target species, I visited Mongolia on a birding tour with Birdtour Asia, and it was one of the most enjoyable trips I've ever done. 

 Two of us arrived a couple of days before the tour proper, and the fun began when both the currency exchange places at the airport had run out of Mongolian currency! You can't get it outside the country, but our tour leader did a rough "bar-tab" throughout the tour, and we settled up at the end in assorted currencies. Some places, especially in the capital, Ulaan-Bator, take cards, but most of our trip was nowhere near any towns. Similarly wi-fi was rarely available, which to me is wonderful. Ann and I have an agreement not to keep in touch when I'm away, it stops either of us worrying about the other, and gives us more to talk about when I get home. One of the attractions when we travelled abroad together was no contact with the outside world, no phones, no e-mail, no television. Most of Mongolia is just that, half the population live around the capital or in a few small towns, the other half are still nomadic. Wherever you are you can see for miles around, mountains, vast plains, large lakes, or dunes. Much of the country encompasses the Gobi desert, and there is much fossil evidence of early life, including hominids. What are almost non-existant are fences; herds of goats, cattle, horses, camels and even yaks roam freely. Their owners live in gers, the Mongolian equivalent of yurts, and it is not uncommon to see a ger with vehicles around, although some still ride horses. Tourism is on the increase, but ger "camps" rather than hotels are the norm, in the Gobi particularly, and transport is by 4WD as there are few tarmac roads. Darkness is the best time in a ger camp, spotlighting for desert mammals such as jerboah, gerbil and hamster. There are always birds around, usually Wheatears or Tree Sparrows, which are far commoner than House Sparrows. Away from camps can be found Saxaul Sparrow. Saxaul itself, I was surprised to find, is endangered, found only in a narrow belt through Kazakhstan and Mongolia. It used to be used for firewood, but the practice is now illegal, and the vast majority of Mongolians are law-abiding.

 
Partly due to its size, birds are everywhere but not always in large numbers, however, the country holds several species which are difficult to see elsewhere. Obviously Koslov's Accentor, the only endemic, is one, but Relict Gull and Black-billed Capercaillie have to be the most sought-after. Many tours don't visit the Relict Gull colony since it is nearly 500km from the capital. half of which is on unmade roads. I had seen them in Kazakhstan, but they bred on an inaccessible island and we only saw one or two, the colony has since been deserted but it is now in use once more, again most tours don't visit as it is so far from the main birding areas. Black-billed Capercaillie is found over a wide area, but Mongolia holds the world's only reliable site. Oriental Plover in breeding plumage is difficult to find, but most tours score. Easy on their wintering grounds, but the breeding birds are something else! The number of lakes ensure lots of wildfowl, "real" Mute Swan, Swan Goose, Mandarin, Falcated, and Baikal Teal, plus Baer's Pochard if you're lucky, as we were. Add to that a number of difficult passerines, Hodgson's Bushchat, Azure Tit, Mongolian Lark, Mongolian Ground Jay, Chinese Beautiful and Siberian Long-tailed Rosefinches. Definitely quality rather than quantity. Oh, how could I forget, hundred's of Pallas' Sandgrouse! 

In time I'll have processed all my photos, and many of the birds will appear on my website. Currently I'm just enjoying the memories! Mongolian translations courtesy of Google translate, if you don't know what they are you haven't read the blog!